Problemon

Problemon is a fictional unit used in discussions of problem-solving difficulty within puzzle design and thought experiments in computer science. It functions as a relative measure rather than an exact quantity, intended to help compare the perceived effort required to reach a solution from a given starting state.

Origin and usage: The term is believed to have originated in online puzzle communities in the early 2010s and has since appeared in speculative writings about education, artificial intelligence, and game design. It is not recognized as a standard unit in mathematics or computer science, and its definitions vary between authors.

Measurement: No universal scale exists. Draft models describe one problemon as roughly the amount of cognitive work needed to perform a typical search for a solution path, integrating factors such as required insight, trial-and-error, and computation. Some proposals use a logarithmic scale (for example 1 to 100), while others describe a qualitative ladder (easy, moderate, hard, extreme).

Examples: A straightforward riddle with a short, direct path might be rated 2–4 problemons, whereas a multi-step puzzle requiring several branches of reasoning could be 8–16. In algorithmic contexts, problems with exponential backtracking or undecidable elements are often described as high-problemon.

Impact and criticism: Advocates argue that problemon can aid curriculum design and puzzle curation by communicating difficulty without sharing exact solution details. Critics note that the lack of standardization makes comparisons unreliable and that cognitive bias can distort ratings.

See also: Difficulty, problem complexity, instance complexity, Kolmogorov complexity.